The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-12-30
4 TURN or THE WHEEL.

New York Sunday Mercury.
Flora would have liked to say some
ching more--to have softened ia some
way the edge OF what had gone before.
But, after all. what would n say?
Maskelyne did not seem to expect, or
wish for, anything further. He walk
ed on by her side speechless, sullen,
staring in front OF him. Once or twice,
when the roughness OF Che descentren-
dered such service necessary, he offer-
ed his hand, and always without
looking at her. Flora concluded de.
terminedly at last that the silence
should not be broken by her. He was
taking her refusal as a man might be
expected TO take these things of
course, it hurt their pride dreadfally.
And not more than one Of them out
OF a thousand really cared enough for
a girl to be truly her friend after she
had done his vanity this, to him,
objectionable injury.
The camp was in sight now, in the
valley below them. Flora hoped,
~petulantly, that, since her rejected
sutton would assumes uncomfortable
and disagreeable an attitude he would
at least keep as much as possible out
Of her way until she should start for
the East, in q few days.
This Maskelyne scruplously did.
And yet Flora was scarcely satisfied.
There was a vague discomfort in her
senses.
Once she brought herself sharply to
task. Well, after oil, what did she
want? Would she have liked to ae.
cept Maskelyne, to marry him? She
was very young, she knew she was
beautiful, and now, with all this
money that had come to them, ambi-
tions, slumbering before, had sprung
into life vivid and ifnsistent. Andwhy
not? Was it notnatural, Flora Wade
asked herself, deiantly, that a girl
Wiz ACAJ .DhGl # NG9DbbCiIlCO ## WALL
in her as she was conscious of
should want to exercise them in a.
brilliant field, and WELD such social
prestige as they gaye2 For little while,
a few years at least, she wanted to
live-to live!-and enjoy her life! If she
married now a poor engineer in the
Western wilds, what would her life be?
OF course, if one loved a man very
much. But she did not Mask
elyne, she assured herself, fercely. Not
at least enough for that. Oh yes, he
would think her frivolous, f1ippant,
vain, a shallow, worldly coquette.
He would say she had triied with
him-had led him on.
Flora stopped in her inward solilo-
guy. Her heart beat just a little
more quickly. a tall, fair-haired fell
low has crossed slowly in front of the
open door. He was not conscious of
being seen. He was walking with his
cap pulled over his eyebrows and g.
moody look in his down-bent eyes.
"He might atleasthave the decency
to wish me a bon voyage " thought
Flora, with angry bitterness.
She was going East the very next
day. Her trunks were packed. A let
ter from the distant relative, a FASH
ionable woman of society, who was to
chaperon her during the next few
years, and who already had Flora's
younger sister with her, lay
before her. Visions and
dreams OF success, OF happiness such
as tho brilliant world gives Uprneii
beyond. Flora sat staring out at the
Westering sunlight till it had quite
faded and the shadows filed the val.
ley. When she finally rose from her
chair, as one shaking of sleep, there
was a suspicious moisture in her dark
eyes.
After all, if Howard Maskelyne had
bided his time, it be had not been pre-
cipitated, perhaps Flora Wade would.
not have gone east the next morning.
Wa knows?
Howard Maskelyne remained west
for three years. His resolution to
succeed--to s'geg ahead'-had, as
some ef his companions who knew him
better than the rest perceive without
perceiving the cause, been reinforced
by a sort OF logged defiance, He gave
himself up TO his work with that undi-
vided and tireless allegiance which q
man manifests toward the stern as
poets Of life when he has suffered a
sentimental disenchantment-if, that
is, he does not take the opposite
course and slight that aspect altogeth-
CIR. He did not take q vacation when
he could have dono so. He seemed to
dread even a days idleness. He grew
older, and the lines deepened in his
face. Some OF che other fellows sur
missed, at times, that there was o won.
an in the case. But their habitual
cast 81 thought did not induce them
TO dwell upon supposltions OF this ma
ture very abidingly.
II is probable that Maskelyne would
have rey,a ~ IL this fashion Len years